Big Four: Pokemon Adventure!
by sunshinexriptide
Summary: Join Merida as she travels through the Hoenn region on her journey to become a Pokemon Master! RotBTD.
1. Chapter 1: Don't Forget Your Roots!

**The Big Four Pokemon Adventure**

**Chapter 1: Don't Forget Your Roots!**

Merida awoke from a fitful sleep to see the first few rays of the dawn peek through her window. She was excited to begin the day- her first step to becoming a pokemon master! She could hardly get any sleep, tossing and turning with visions of pokemon dancing in her head. She had been studying the different pokemon that lived in Hoenn ever since her father moved them there for work. She knew all about the starters, read up on type difference advantages and disadvantages, and had even purchased a map the week before from the pokemart in the neighboring town of Oldale. Her father had been conducting research on a route just north of the town, and she had practically jumped at the chance to go with him. She groaned at the sight of her hair in the mirror. She could never get it to do what she wanted! After a couple of failed attempts to run a brush through it, she pulled it into a ponytail and threaded it through the back of one of her favorite hats- red and white, like a pokeball! She finished getting dressed and headed downstairs.

"Well now, look who's up!" Elinor exclaimed. She was trying to set the table for breakfast while skillfully dodging the fiery triplets who dashed around the room.

"BOYS!" Merida shouted, earning a wince from her mother. The three only gave her their attention for a moment before they were back at it again. Elinor opened the door and shooed them outside, instructing them not to come back in until lunch.

Merida sat at the table and dug into her eggs and pancakes while her mom turned the TV down. A documentary on grass type pokemon was playing, and she recognized the deep voice of her father. He was talking about how grass types often used photosynthesis to gain energy from the sun, and how the process changed to allow them to absorb energy from a foe using Leech Seed. Merida was only half listening as he had told her all about it a month or so prior. Once he was on a subject it was almost impossible not to know everything about it just by being in the same vicinity! Grass types never really held her attention, anyway. She was far more interested in fire type pokemon! The sheer power in moves like Fire Blast and Heat Wave got her pumped up! She had only seen them on television, though. She was dying to see a fire type in person. Her room was plastered with posters of pokemon like Numel, Torkoal, and even pokemon from other regions like Kanto. She was enamored with the pokemon Ponyta, and vowed to catch one some day.

When her father found out about her passion, he ordered a subscription for Fire&Flames, the official magazine of Gym Leader Flannery. Any time she was on TV he made sure Merida was able to watch. He knew from experience that fire type pokemon could be very dangerous. If his daughter was going to become a fire type trainer, she needed to know how to take care of them! Flannery was always coming out with interesting articles that intrigued both Merida and her father. He was even featured in one once when she quoted from a short paper he had written on the similarities between the grass move Solar Beam and the fire move Flamethrower. He was beyond ecstatic.

"Here you are dear, a gift from your father," Elinor placed a box on the table. Merida's eyebrows shot up and a grin cracked wide across her face. She opened the gift carefully to reveal a brand new backpack! It was a sleek red, grey, and black.

"Awesome! Thank you!" She tried it on, loving the way the sturdy material sat on her back.

"It looks good on you," her mother complimented, "You should go to the lab and show him. He should be back any minute."

Merida nodded and rushed upstairs to grab her supplies. She was going to start her journey today. She had planned her route, noting each gym along the way. She needed to beat each and every one to earn the badges required to challenge the Elite Four! Once she defeated them, she would earn the title of Pokemon Champion! _At least for the Hoenn region,_ she thought to herself. _After that I can travel to new regions and meet new people and pokemon!_ She could barely contain her excitement!

She gathered her notebooks from her desk and placed them carefully in the main pocket of the backpack. One or two of the books were full of notes about the gym leaders she was going to face. They each had their own style, strategy, and type preference. She would need a well-rounded team to make it through. Most of the notebooks were empty, though. She wanted to document her adventure! She threw in her diary along with some pens and pencils, plus her map. She sifted through her favorite Fire&Flames issues and picked a handful to take with her. She wasn't sure if she'd have any down time during her travels and wanted to be sure she wouldn't get bored. There was a belt in the front most pocket, and she slipped it on. It had hooks along the side for her to put her pokemon! She was starting to feel like an official trainer.

"Good luck!" her mother shouted as she walked out into the sunshine. She smiled and waved goodbye to her mom and the three brothers that had managed to climb high in one of the trees in their front yard. They were just as curious (and as keen for goofing around) as a couple of Aipoms!

Merida made her way to her father's lab. Luckily it was only a short walk. As she passed by her neighbors she noticed a moving truck. Her father had mentioned that there was a family moving in, but she thought they wouldn't be settled for another week or so. She thought about stopping by to introduce herself, but decided against it. There wasn't much of a point since she was about to go adventuring, and she didn't know when she'd be back. The thought saddened her a little, and the true weight of it hit her with butterflies. She pushed those feelings away and filled her mind with exciting thoughts of the new people and pokemon she was going to meet as she continued to the lab.

~.~.~.

Hiccup stood nervously at the edge of the route leading from Littleroot to Oldale. He was sure he had heard someone cry out for help, but he knew how tall grass tended to house wild pokemon, and he didn't have any of his own to defend him yet.

"HEEEEELP!"

There it was again! Hiccup took a deep breath and made his way over to the noise. In any other situation the scene before him would be almost comical. A large, powerful looking man in a lab coat was running away from a small, doglike pokemon. He looked terrified of it, when he was easily five times its size. He caught sight of Hiccup and called out.

"You there! Help! Grab a pokeball from my bag!"

It was then that Hiccup noticed the bag laying by his feet. Three pokeballs had spilled out of it. He hesitated, then picked one up at random and tossed it at the wild pokemon. It stopped, turning to face him as a pokemon appeared from the ball.

"Kip! Kip!" the new pokemon was a brilliant deep blue, with a fin atop its head. There were bright orange fin-like protrusions on its cheeks and a large, light-blue tail. Hiccup remembered seeing the pokemon before in a pamphlet his mother had given him.

_Take a look dear! These are some of the Pokemon in the Hoenn region!_

He didn't want to leave his home in Kanto, but he didn't have much of a choice. His mother had found a great job here and so he decided to give it a chance. He looked once more at the pokemon before him and recalled its name- Mudkip! It was a water and ground type pokemon. Mudkip stared down the wild pokemon and Hiccup realized that he would need to give it a command.

"Uh, Mudkip, use…" his mind raced, trying to remember a basic move. "Tackle!"

Mudkip leapt after his foe and successfully landed the move. The wild pokemon growled, intimidating Mudkip.

Hiccup noticed the dirt underneath his pokemon and realized that it could be wetted to make mud! "Mudkip, give 'em a Mud Slap!"

Mudkip looked down and nodded, seeming to understand. It shot the ground with water and gathered up the mud in its paws, hurling it at the other pokemon. It howled in frustration and ran off into the woods, trying to shake the mud off of its fur.

"Alright! Great job, buddy," he beamed.

"Great job indeed!"

The man's voice startled Hiccup. He had been so focused on the battle that he had forgotten that the man was there.

"Thank you for saving me. You and Mudkip worked really well together! Allow me to introduce myself; I'm Professor Fergus. I was doing some field research when that Poochyena leapt out and attacked me."

Professor Fergus… where had he heard that name before?

"I'm Hiccup, my mom and I just moved here."

"Ah yes! You two came from Kanto, correct? I believe your mother is my new employee! Here, why don't you follow me back to my lab?"

~.~.~.

"Dad!" Merida shouted. Professor Fergus was difficult to miss. Standing at nearly six and a half feet tall he towered over the other scientists at the lab and nearly filled the double-doorway.

"Merida! I see you got my gift!"

She spun around once to show off her outfit. "You bet! I'm ready to get started!"

"Alright, alright, just give me a minute. I want you to meet our new neighbor!"

Hiccup peered from behind the professor. Merida hadn't even seen him walk in. She looked him up and down. He was about her height, and pretty scrawny. His mouse-brown hair didn't stand out much, but the freckles on his face and his grin were sort of cute. She squared her shoulders and held out her hand.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Merida."

"Hiccup," he replied, taking her hand in his. Her eyes were a bright blue, but her personality flared as bright and fiery as her hair. He noticed her posture and suddenly felt conscious of his own, standing up a little straighter and clearing his throat. "Uh, nice to meet you too."

"Now," the Professor began, "Hiccup here helped me out in the field this morning. He battled so well with Mudkip, it was like they were meant to be!"

Hiccup's face flushed and he gave a sheepish grin. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"Merida here is about to start her journey across Hoenn to become a pokemon master!" Fergus beamed. "Now dear, am I correct in assuming that this Torchic here will be joining you?" He reached into his pack and pulled out the three pokeballs that Hiccup had seen earlier.

Merida jumped up and down with excitement. "YES!"

Fergus handed her one of the balls and she held it out dramatically in front of her, calling the pokemon out.

"Alright, let's go Torchic!"

The small, red and yellow bird pokemon emerged, hopping up and down on one foot. It had caught on to Merida's excitement and shot a small ember into the air. "Torchee torchee! Trrrrreeeee!" it trilled.

_Those two were made for each other,_ Hiccup thought to himself. Fergus turned his attention back to Hiccup.

"And you, as thanks for helping me out, why don't you take that Mudkip?"

"Really? That's awesome! Thank you!" Hiccup smiled in awe as the Professor handed him the pokeball. He couldn't believe it! Day one in a new place and he already had his very own pokemon! Torchic shot another ember into the air and he jumped back, thankful that he hadn't chosen that little fireball. He probably would have ended up burnt to a crisp.

"Alright Dad, I'm gonna get going." Merida called Torchic back and placed the pokeball on her belt.

"Right, one more thing before you go," Fergus said, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. "Here- take these running shoes, these empty pokeballs, and this Pokedex." Merida clipped the pokeballs to her belt, slipped into the shoes and gave a curious look to the red device in her father's hand.

"I ordered these a few weeks ago and they just came in. It is a device that identifies pokemon and gives you information on them! I want you to do me a favor and take this with you. The more pokemon you record, the more we both learn! Bring it back to me when you've filled it up and I'll be able to sync it here at the lab and update my database."

"Alright!" Merida pumped a fist in the air. "I can't wait!"

"Where's the first stop on your journey?" Fergus asked. He was overcome with pride at seeing his daughter strike out on her own, but he was also sad to see her go. He knew exactly what route she was going to take. For the past few nights she had told him all about it. He just wanted her to stay for a few more minutes.

"I'm stopping in Oldale first to stock up on supplies, then it's east to Petalburg City and the Balance Badge!"

Fergus enveloped his daughter in one last hug before she set off. "Good luck! Don't forget to call!"

"I won't!" she shouted back, and with that her pokemon adventure finally began.

~.~.~.

**A/N**

**Hello! This is my first attempt at a pokemon au fic. It is based off of the Emerald video game and the original show. For now it will be chaptered, but I don't see it going past 17 or 18 chapters and maybe an epilogue. I'd love some feedback on this! Leave a comment if you liked it and if you want to see more of this story. And don't worry- the other characters will show up soon! ;)**


	2. Chapter 2: Petal to the Metal!

**The Big Four Pokemon Adventure**

**Chapter 2: Petal to the Metal!**

"CLOSED?!"

Merida's shoulders fell in defeat. She had just spent the previous week catching and training pokemon on the routes between Oldale and Petalburg. Now she was standing in front of the Petalburg city gym, eyes set on the sign above as if the power of her gaze alone could will it to change to "open". Torchic trilled a deflated tune by her side. The young trainer was antsy and anxious about her first gym leader battle, but this threw a boulder in her path as forceful as a Machoke. She forced herself to breathe and decided to explore the city a bit. Maybe one of the locals would know what is going on.

The faint, familiar tinkling of the bell in the Pokemon Center sounded as she opened the door. Nurses were moving to and fro healing pokemon and talking to their owners. Torchic's head moved from side to side comically, trying to look at everyone at once. Merida simply knelt down and let the fiery birdling hop onto her shoulder for a better view. She strode confidently to the counter and patiently waited for Nurse Joy to finish with the trainer in front of her.

"There we go," the pink-haired woman chirped, "your pokemon is all healed up and ready to go!"

She handed a single pokeball to the boy in front of Merida and he was on his way, albeit a bit hesitantly. Merida stepped to the counter and inquired about the gym.

"Oh yes, our gym is currently closed while we prepare for the new gym leader."

Merida was a little shaken- what happened to Norman? She had chosen and trained her team specifically for this battle. She couldn't believe that such a huge change was happening! Certainly her father would have known about this. Why didn't he tell her?

She thanked the nurse and stepped aside, heading for the video phones on the far wall of the bustling center. This place was busier than she expected, but it was her first time in a true city in a while. She hadn't ventured too far from Littleroot and Oldale. Merida punched her home phone number into the keypad and it wasn't long before the familiar, smiling face of her mother appeared onscreen.

"Merida! It's so good to hear from you! How has your journey been so far?"

She spent a few minutes telling the tale of her adventures- the pokemon she had caught, training against both wild pokemon and any trainer whose eyes she met along the way. Her mother was impressed that she had managed to catch a Taillow so early, as flying-type pokemon require quick thinking to capture before they get away.

"You are your father's daughter," she said, almost to herself.

"Speaking of," Merida piped in, "where is dad? I have a few questions to ask about the new Petalburg gym leader."

"He's at the lab, do you need the number?"

A few clicks later and the young trainer had the professor on the line and her notebook out, ready to go. Much to her surprise, her father had known about the new leader for a little while.

"Part of striking out on your own is knowing that not everything goes to plan," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "A true test for a trainer's strength isn't just the power of their pokemon, but how they handle each situation. You need to learn how to prepare, sure, but also how to change your plan on a dime!"

Merida could hear the familiar lilt in her father's voice and knew that if she let him continue, he'd be on a full lecture before she knew it. While she was a little miffed that he had known and hadn't said anything, she still knew that he was looking out for her.

"So who's this new leader?" she asked quickly, trying to get to the point.

"You remember the young lad who moved in next door, right?"

Merida nodded but then flushed a bit with embarrassment- she had been in such a rush to get started on her travels that she had completely forgotten the boy's name.

"Well his father, Stoick, moved here from Kanto to take over the Petalburg City Gym. He's a strong trainer and an even stronger leader. He uses normal-type pokemon, like Norman did."

Merida sighed with relief as she jotted down the information. At least she wouldn't have to change her battle strategy _too_ much, she thought to herself. With a couple more minutes of small talk, she waved goodbye.

_Click!_

~.~.~.

Hiccup nervously approached Petalburg City. It was a stark difference to the small town they had just moved to. It seemed like there were twice as many people moving about. He saw kids playing around the corner of the first house to his left, and glanced at the map in his hands. The gym that his dad was about to take over was just ahead and to the right. He didn't seem to notice how his pace dropped and his feet dragged the closer he got. He was excited to see his dad, of course, but there was also a sense of caution. His dad was a powerful trainer, and had always assumed that Hiccup would follow in his footsteps. Hiccup was proud of his dad, but the thought of pitting these creatures against each other in battle made his stomach flip. How would his dad react to knowing that? Would he think Hiccup was criticizing him and his entire career?

Heavy feet took him to a large pond to the south of the gym. He peered down at his reflection, then noticed there was another boy standing next to him doing the same. For a moment they stood in silence before the boy spoke.

"My face is reflected in the water. It's a shining grin full of hope…"

Hiccup looked back at his own face, noticing how the ripples distorted his features.

"Or maybe it's a look of somber silence struggling with fear…"

The water calmed and he saw in his eyes the storm clouds of worry and concern that had been plaguing him as he had trekked to the city.

"What do you see in your face?"

Hiccup glanced over and noticed that the boy was still looking at his own reflection. Was he talking to Hiccup, or to himself? It seemed like a rather poetic thing to say, though a bit random to speak to someone he didn't even know. He didn't answer the boy, instead taking a deep breath and turning around to look at the gym. Whether his fears were true or not, he still wanted to see his dad. He walked with a little more confidence in his step.

~.~.~.

Merida browsed the aisles of the pokemart, checking items off of her list as she tossed them in her basket. Potions, pokeballs, a snack or two for herself…

"You look like a battle-ready trainer!"

She turned around to see the smiling face of the shopkeeper.

"I will be, after I finish getting everything I need," she smiled back, making her final selection and setting it on the counter.

"Are you heading west of here, to the Petalburg woods?"

She had planned her route backwards and forwards, and nodded in response. The woods would be the best passage to get to Rustboro city.

"Take a couple of these with you, then," he said, adding some items to her bag. She noticed that he hadn't scanned them, and started to protest when he cut her off with a swift, dismissive wave of his hand. "On the house, darlin'. Antidotes are crucial when dealing with grass type pokemon. Many of them know poisonous moves, and I've seen too many trainers come running back to the pokecenter here in town."

Merida thanked the shop owner and grabbed a couple of paralyz heal for good measure. She still needed to speak with Gym Leader Stoick, but now that she knew she was still facing normal-type pokemon it didn't hurt to be prepared for her next step.

She chanced going by the gym again, in case there was someone nearby who could give her more information about where Stoick might be, when she noticed that one of the lights was on inside. She ran over to the window and peered through the glass. Sure enough, that boy from Littleroot was there, talking with a man nearly as big as her father. What was his name… Henry? Hammy? Hockey? Something along those lines. He saw her out of the corner of his eye and recognized her right away, and her heart jumped up in her chest. Yes! This was it! Maybe she could get the Balance Badge today after all!

Merida stepped back as the two approached and unlocked the door, excitement building in her chest. There was something about the rush before a battle, especially her very first Gym Leader battle! This would make one heck of a journal entry.

"- is the girl I met last week, Professor Fergus's daughter," the boy was saying.

"Pleased to meet you, miss Merida," the giant man boomed.

Merida smiled. The man reminded her even more so of her father in person. She also felt a twinge of embarrassment, since she still couldn't remember the boy's name, but he had obviously remembered hers. She'd have to take note to commit more names to memory along her journey. While he didn't seem like he would be very important to her at first, she was quickly realizing that he would be a formidable ally. If he could be, so could anyone else.

"And you must be Gym Leader Stoick," she answered, holding her hand out to shake. His meaty paw dwarfed her small hand, and for the first time she felt nervousness. She tried her best not to let it show.

"Welcome to Hoenn," she added, almost forgetting her manners. She wanted to get right down to the battle. "Will your gym be open soon?"

Stoick's whole body shook as he laughed. "You're ready to go, aren't you? No, unfortunately there is still a lot more to be done here," he answered, gesturing to the empty walls and disheveled floor.

Merida felt her enthusiasm deflate a little. Would she be stuck here in Petalburg forever? She was so excited to have her first gym leader battle, and now her whole plan was falling apart. Her father's words came back to her then, about how sometimes things didn't go to plan. She thought that was stupid, if she planned something then she would make it happen! But it seemed that some things can't be forced, and so she took a deep breath and tried to look as wise as possible, nodding to Stoick.

"In the meantime, perhaps you can help me out with something," he said. His words caught her a bit off guard, but she was just getting used to going with the flow, so she nodded again.

"My son here has just got his first pokemon, and he wants to be a trainer like his dear old dad," at that, Merida noticed the boy gave her a half-hearted smile that looked more nervous than happy. "He's just having some trouble catching another one. Maybe you could take him down around route 102 and see if you can show him how it's done?"

Merida groaned inwardly. She had come here for a battle, not to be some kid's babysitter! But she smiled and nodded again. After all, a friendship with the Gym Leader's son might come in handy.

"Great!" Stoick boomed yet again. "Hiccup, take this pokeball with you, and good luck!"

_Hiccup?_ She thought to herself, _what a strange name._

The boy shot one more forced smile to his dad and they were on their way.

~.~.~.

"So what's the deal with your face?" Merida asked plainly, once they were well along the route. Up until then Hiccup had been silent, and she wasn't a huge fan of the awkwardness of it all.

"My, uh-what?" the question had taken him out of his inner-monologue.

"You look like you have a beedrill in your pants," she snorted. "Catching a pokemon isn't as hard as you are probably thinking."

"Oh," he replied. "Well, the thing is, I tried catching some on my way here from Littleroot," Merida's eyes widened in surprise. There were quite a few routes on the way, and he must have really hit some bad luck if he couldn't even catch a Ratata or a Poochyena.

"I just couldn't do it," he continued, his shoulders sagging. Merida thought that he looked very tired all of a sudden, and she felt a pang of empathy. "I can't force myself to make my pokemon fight."

She thought about that for a little bit. With all of her years of training and reading, she never once considered that the pokemon _didn't want_ to fight. She glanced at the Torchic on her shoulder, trilling happily along as they walked. Had Torchic not wanted to fight those pokemon? She recalled her battles, and the determination that was plastered across the fire-type's face. No, she thought, it seemed that Torchic enjoyed battling.

She finally spoke after a while. "Well, maybe you just have to be careful to read your pokemon," she suggested. Hiccup turned to her with a look of confusion. She just pointed her pokemon, "Torchic loves to battle, but I can tell when she's getting tired and wants to give it a rest."

Hiccup turned back to the tall grass, weighing the other trainer's opinion in his mind. If he was going to say something in return he didn't get the chance, cut off quickly by the sound of rustling grass. A blur of white and green barreled straight for Torchic, who jumped out of the way just in time.

"Here's your chance!" Merida shouted. "Call out your pokemon!"

Hiccup fumbled for a moment with the pokeball before summoning his Mudkip. The blue creature stretched and hopped from side to side, seemingly excited. Hiccup, however, still had traces of fear and nerves in his eyes.

"You can do it!" Merida shouted, and that seemed to snap him back to reality. He took a moment to measure up his opponent, the fear slowly being taken over by determination. Merida grabbed the pokedex from her backpack and flipped it open, pointing it to the new pokemon and listening intently as the metallic voice read aloud:

_Ralts, the feeling pokemon. A Ralts has the power to sense the emotions of people and Pokemon with the horns on its head. It takes cover if it senses any hostility._

The Ralts in question seemed calm, despite the previous attempt to attack Torchic. He was staring past Mudkip and straight at Hiccup. The two spent a long moment just looking at each other, before the Ralts nodded its head and stood down. Hiccup smiled to himself as he took the empty pokeball from his backpack.

_Oh no,_ Merida thought, _don't tell me it's going to be that ea-_

Her thoughts were interrupted as Hiccup threw the pokeball, catching the psychic pokemon on his first attempt. He turned back to her, whooping with excitement. She slapped her forehead with her open palm. How did he get all the luck?

~.~.~.

Stoick's voice was filled to the brim with giddy excitement. He was so proud and happy for his son that Merida decided not to mention how Hiccup caught the pokemon without even issuing an order to Mudkip. Instead, she took a moment to plot her next move.

The Petalburg City Gym Leader had told her to move on to Rustboro, that she was welcome to come back and face him when the gym was ready. While she was disappointed to have to put off her first Gym Leader battle, she understood. Once her route was planned she thanked Stoick and Hiccup for their hospitality and started the next phase of her journey.

It was much to her surprise, then, when she heard a voice calling to her on her way out of the city.

"Wait up, Merida!"

She groaned inwardly. What did he want? Not like she didn't enjoy his company, but she had places to be! She turned and gave the other young trainer a look.

"Listen," he continued, whether he didn't see her face or chose to ignore her she didn't know. "I can see you're a really strong trainer, and my dad wants me to follow in his footsteps, and so I was wondering if maybe…"

He waited, hoping she'd put two and two together so that he wouldn't have to continue. Asking people for things wasn't exactly his strong point. Instead she just looked at him, almost through him really, her gaze fierce and unwavering. He cleared his throat.

"Maybe I could tag along?"

Merida thought for a moment about his request. She looked him up and down, sizing him up. He probably wouldn't slow her down. And it's not like she couldn't use a little bit of his beginner's luck, the way he caught that Ralts.

"I've heard that the woods west of here are pretty intense," she said. "Do you think you have what it takes?"

Hiccup swallowed. She was still looking at him, expecting an answer. Did he? He didn't know. All he knew was that his dad wanted him to be a trainer, and maybe a part of him also wanted to be a trainer. For the most part, he just wanted to help other people and pokemon. He had a couple of notebooks with him that contained pokemon food recipes and even what ingredients to collect to make healing salves and balms. If he didn't train to fight, he could at least make sure that the pokemon they came across were all looked after and taken care of.

Merida noticed that something in the boy's eyes had changed. He seemed to have shed his original layer of nervousness, and it was replaced with a hunger for adventure that she had recognized in herself the morning she left Littleroot. She knew his answer before he said it.

"Yes."


End file.
